In January of 2017, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a restructuring of the public healthcare system. According to reports, the six healthcare clusters currently in existence will be reworked into three clusters. Each one will be responsible for the wellbeing of about 1.1. to 1.5 million Singapore residents.

The Original Organisation

In Singapore, the previous existing structure consisted of six separate regional groups, or clusters. The new reorganisation will merge some of these clusters together to create larger entities, which will serve bigger sectors of the population.

The Specifics of the Mergers

In the east of Singapore, Singapore Health Services will be merging with the Eastern Health Alliance. The newly formed entity will retain Singapore Health Services commonly recognised label, “SingHealth.”

To the west of Singapore, National University Health System, or NUHS, will take Jurong Health Services under its banner.

For the central section of Singapore, National Healthcare Group, or NHG, will combine with Alexandra Health System. The newly merged cluster will keep the name National Healthcare Group.

The Effect for Polyclinics

The reorganisational effort extends to Singapore’s polyclinics. Some of the clinics will be shuffled into new structures, while a new polyclinic group, known as National University Polyclinics, will appear under the banner of the National University Health System. Another group of four polyclinics will also transfer to NUHS, including Choa Chu Kang, Jurong, Bukit Batok, and Clementi. These four were previously under the National Healthcare Group’s jurisdiction.

The Timeline for the Restructuring Effort

According to the Ministry of Health’s statement on Wednesday, January 18th, the consolidation of these clusters and the movement of the polyclinics will be ongoing throughout 2017. The process should be wrapped up by early 2018.

The Role of Patients

The Singapore Ministry of Health reassured patients that they would not need to do anything related to this change. All current appointments and healthcare provisions will stay the same, and patients can continue to receive quality care like normal. Specialty centres and hospitals that deal with specialised areas of medicine will remain under their current clusters.

The Purpose of the Change

Why make all these changes to the structure of the healthcare system? According to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, the alternations to the existing organisational layout will help Singapore deal with “future healthcare challenges.” The new clusters will have a greater pool of resources and broader access to facilities and technology, which allows them to provide for effective and immediate care for each individual. Plus, any updates or changes can be implemented more quickly across Singapore, since fewer clusters are involved and the leadership is more streamlined under the direction of three key people— Professor John Wong Eu Li, Professor Philip Choo, and Professor Ivy Ng.

How the Change Affects Your Mental Health in Singapore

These adjustments to the healthcare system should not affect the care for your mental health in Singapore. You can continue receiving treatment from one of the top Singapore psychiatrists at Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic. If you have any additional questions about how the restructuring might affect you and your healthcare needs, feel free to call our office or contact us and we will be happy to provide you with information or schedule your next appointment.